Cherry Limeaid
by puppydoglove678
Summary: Neji was always one to keep his head level. Disgusted by the acts of the others his age, he kept his focus on his training. A 21st party changes everything, Neji's will power is tested as he's brought into a room with someone he loves. Rose. NejixOC


Cherry Limeade 

Neji walked through the unfamiliarity of his own home. The compound was littered with the varieties of unknown alcoholic beverages. They had hosted a party in what Ino called a 21 annual. It was a point in time where Naruto just turned 21 and everyone in our age group was finally allowed to drink. The whole idea of alcohol made his face burn. It was a nasty past time he refused to take part in.

In every room he past, he could hear drunken lovers taking part in activities he couldn't even consider thinking about. As he made his way to his room, he could smell the intoxicating smell of his fantasies. He slowly opened his bedroom door, peering into the shadow of his own room. A figure on the bed drew his attention. Normally, under the circumstances, he would go to the guest room or the couch to sleep. This moment drew him in. Who ever was laying on his bed caught his interest. He slipped into the room and shut the door behind him. Tip toeing silently toward the bed he caught the peaceful face of his sleeping friend Rose. He didn't remember Rose drinking not even a sip of alcohol, but he had remembered she was on her feet the whole night. Entertaining the audience filled with her peers through dancing and enticing small talk.

He examined his exhausted friend's position. Her body looked mangled by torture of unpleasant dreams. Her legs crosses and her one arm flung over her forehead. Her other arm extended away from her body held a glassed that contained a slither of pink liquid and filled the rest of the way with ice. In curiosity, he removed the small glass from her hand and sniffed the content. It didn't smell like alcohol. He dipped his finger into what was left of it and popped it in his mouth. The substance nor tasted like alcohol and indeed it wasn't. It was cherry limeade, a favorite of hers. He turned and placed the glass on the dresser.

Now this second would normally be the best moment to leave, find a new place to sleep for the night. Something made him sit down next to her instead. Silently watching her twitch, jerk and scratch from yet another nightmare. Her shirt began to ride up her torso, showing off her slender stomach. Neji felt like he had to do something to relieve her from the frightening nightmare. He gripped her hand in which she whimpered in response. Caressing the smooth skin of her palm and back hand, he started to do something a Hyuga prodigy should never do. He started to fall in love.

Love for a Hyuga was difficult. Most marriages in the clan were arranged. Some select few clan members were aloud to marry on their own. Most arranged marriages were happy ones. Through, none of those men in arranged marriages were in love with someone else. What makes it more difficult was that she had a ocular jutsu. A jutsu that was inherited from generation to generation. It would conflict with the Byakugan. A fact like that, none of the Hyuga elders would let them be together. Then there was something he had completely forgotten. Did she love him too?

It was a depressing sight to see. Neji's head leaned back, trying to blink back what tears were forming. Finally, he decided it was time to leave the room. He already had let go of his dignity when he stroked her hand. When he got up to leave, he could hear rustling on the bed.. He figured she shifted from fear yet another nightmare. He turned his head to look at her, but he realized she was standing up on the bed. He turned calmly to face her, but in reality he was terrified.

Would she think of him as some kind of heartless pervert? A man with intentions of taking advantage of her deep sleeping state. She stared down at him, wide awake. He could understand if she was angry. He would be to if someone watched him sleep. He was prepared to accept any punishment she would bestow on him.

When she began to shift toward him, he shut his eyes. At first he felt a weight on his upper body that came with such force, it tipped him backwards. Arms wrapped around his neck as he fell backwards. As he felt the hard wood floor on his back and weight on top of him, he opened his eyes. Very slowly, before he held her waist. She tackled him to the ground and hugged him so closely that not even a pin could fit between them.

"How long have you been awake?" Neji was tempted to finger through her lovely hair, but he didn't move. He dared not to.

"Since you walked into the room." Rose had no trouble talking against his neck. Her face cuddled in the side of his neck. He felt a shiver roll down his spine when her cold breath touched the delicate skin of his neck. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

"So you only pretended to have a nightmare. You also whimpered when I touched your hand. Surprised." Every moment that had passed when he entered the room till now he analyzed. When he was finished she lifted herself up with her arms.

"Why do you have to analyze everything? Why can't I just have been awake to listen to you?" She knew just what to say to make him feel bad.

"If you were mad at me then why did you hug me?" Neji had his arms sprawled out of on the floor. Open to her and unprepared to defend himself against the world.

"Because I wasn't mad. I wanted to be close to you." When she said that, his mussels relaxed. His body melted into bliss as she wrapped her arms around him again. His rational brain wanted to leave, to save himself from a broken heart. To bad his rational brain wasn't in control. Instead he hugged her closer and tighter.

"Then I'm yours." He murmured, but she couldn't hear him. He knew she couldn't. His soft voice couldn't even have been heard by the ninja with the most in tune listening skills. He decided on one final thing, that whatever she wanted, he would give it to her. If she wanted to hug, he would hold her tight and close. If she wanted to kiss, he would kiss her as if it would be the last thing he would ever do. If she wanted anything more, he would honor that. He would do it in a heartbeat. Whatever she desired was hers.

"It's cold on the floor." She whispered into his neck again. Again it gave him shivers. He held the back her thighs and sat up. She twitched a little when she felt his hands on her thighs. He stood up slowly to keep his balance as he held her. "You don't have to-" He shushed her. She fell silent as he sat down on the bed, her on his lap. He leaned back on the bed so they were laying down again.

"Better?" Neji could feel the warmth of her cheeks on his neck. She was blushing. Deeply.

"I guess." She whimpered when he skimmed his fingers on her thigh, if only for that second. He put his arms flat on the bed. It was wrong, all of this. He knew that now, but he didn't want to stop. He felt sleepy, as if the exhaustion from before had snuck back into his body. He fell into a deep, deep slumber.

He woke up the next morning with a grunt. He felt light headed and kind of irrational. He leaned forward and was surprised. Rose was gone. Actually, there was no proof that she even in the room at all. Except one thing, there was a glass sitting on the dresser next to the door. It was filled with a light pink liquid. He got off the bed and walked over to the dresser. Picking up the glass, he smelt and tasted the content. It was a very washed out glass of cherry limeade. Most likely, it was the glass he put on the desk last night. The glass last night was filled with ice, so it probably melted and mixed with the little cherry limeade that was left in the glass. He noticed something on the glass that he hadn't noticed last night. A small impression of lips, that was smeared on the glass. Rose's lips no doubt about it.

Something came over him. Something primitive that made him lick that part of the glass. Slowly and tenderly. It was that something that scared Neji, it was that something that made him drop the glass on the floor. He shivered and slowly limped his way out of the room. Standing outside his door, he noticed many hung over overnight visitors roaming the halls. Naruto passed him by, almost totally out of it. Surprisingly, he wasn't hung over though. He was just sick from bad sushi.

"Hey Neji. What happened to you? Your leg is bleeding." He stared at Neji's legs, which actually were bleeding. Neji forgot that glass jumps so ,when he dropped the glass, shards of glass cut his leg. So now, he was bleeding from multiple cuts.

"It's nothing Naruto. Where's Hinata? She okay?" Neji maneuvered around Naruto when he started to look like he was filling his cheeks up with vomit. He ran off into the training ground. With the situation becoming dangerous, with all the hung over moody people hanging around the compound, he decided to eat breakfast somewhere else.

He walked to the café, located close to the compound. Entering the restaurant was a bad idea, because there she was. In her favorite corner, next to the window, reading a book, was Rose. She hadn't noticed him, but he noticed her quite well. She was un phased by the night before. As usual, she was clean cut and was the closest he's seen to perfection.

"Oh god." He murmured to himself, catching that the words in his head were drunken like the others. But they were not drunken on alcohol. He was drunk on love. He was drawn to her, like a nail to a magnet that slowly made it's way to it. He sat in a table that was out of her normal peripheral vision. He could watch her, without her watching him. He couldn't believe how much he sounded like a stalker. He could leave now. If he wanted to, but he couldn't. He wanted to confront her. As if on cue, she looked up. Straight at him. She smiled. Only smiled. Why did she just smile? Not a knowing look, not a sly glimmer in her eye. Just a damn smile. WHY!

"Morning Neji." She waved slightly with her hand then went back to reading her book. He stayed silent. Was she oblivious? In denial? Regretting? Why was she so calm?

"Have fun last night?" He said casually and walked over to sit with her.

"It was okay. I was exhausted after though. I don't even remember much that happened after the clock struck twelve." He flipped the page. So that was it. She didn't remember there talk, there hug, his touch that led him to the disgust in himself this morning. Why didn't this relieve him? If she didn't remember his conscious should be cleared, right? No, it was more than that. He still committed a crime. He still loved her.

"That so. To much limeade?" He smiled gently. Careful not to reveal what he was hiding. What he knew. She giggled.

"Possibly. You never know. It could have been it. Someone could have spiked my drink." She bookmarked her page then set the book down. "You think that's it?"

"No. You would have tasted it. The alcohol they had there was very strong. The stench alone could made you puke." He wanted to take her out of this place. Out of the public where he could store her away. He could lock her away so only he could enjoy her presence, her beauty. But no, these thoughts were wrong. He was wrong, he needed to stop.

"If you don't wanna be at home, we can go to my house. No one is over there. You can hide from the hang over males and the morning sickened women that are hanging around your compound." She smiled again. Stop smiling that seducing smile. That cute innocent smile that could drive a man crazy. Just stop now. Please.

"I don't think that would be-" He frowned. In his state, it wouldn't be. It would be a horrible idea. But he wanted to go. He wanted to be alone with her. Anywhere, anytime. He would do anything for her. Anything.

"I insist." She sipped what was left of her iced coffee then stood up. "Come on." Oh, don't insist. Please don't insist. There's no escaping it then. He'll have to do it.

"Fine. I'll come." Neji stood up and grabbed her arm. Let it rest on his arm. A gentlemen hold.

"Cool." They walked out together. Down the road together. Into her house together, but he sat alone. On the couch. She went to get something to drink for the two of them. He sat there alone. The whole house smelled of her sweet scent. Normally, something this sweet would made his stomach turn. Right now, it smelled like heaven. She brought them two cups filled with that pink liquid. Cherry Limeade. Of course. They sat together, silent, on the couch. He sipped it, but he didn't taste anything. It tasted like water to him. He didn't know why.

"It's quiet here." He didn't want it silent. If it was quiet, they would talk. One thing would lead to another. He didn't want that. "Can I turn the TV on?"

"Sure go ahead." She handed him the remote. He turned it on, flipped through channels. Something loud, something pleasantly loud though. He turned to a channel with a orchestra, then to one with a chain saw. Finally, he stopped at a movie. It was about a man who was a detective who needed to find out who killed the governor. That was perfect, it wasn't romantic or scary. It was mind buckling and puzzling. Her mind would be tied to solve the puzzle before the detective did. He would be distracted from her too.

It was getting dark. She didn't ask him to leave yet. He had probably tuned into 10 movies at least. This was the end of the 10th one. He couldn't leave on his own, his body wouldn't let him. Unless she told him to go, he couldn't get himself to go home. She hadn't talked to him at all. She was tied into the movies, that or she was trying to avoid conversation too.

Her lips parted making her look even more lovely then before. Neji struggled to keep his eyes on the TV screen. Her eyes were away from him and yet. It felt like a sin to be staring at her. Neji felt his mouth open just a little, his body leaning towards hers. He stopped himself when she broke the trance she had him in by switching the channel to a loud cartoon. Neji went back to his normal position and kept his hands on his lap. She was the one though, she was the one to make the first move. If anyone asked him the next day of who made the first move, he would say she did.

Rose laid her head on his shoulder. It was a innocent gesture ,but it was what pushed him over board. He wrapped his arm around her waist slowly. She didn't even notice. He felt the edge of her shirt with his thumb and that is what tempted him to do what he did next. He flicked the edge with his thumb which made it roll up just a little. Then he placed each finger on her skin one by one on her side. She flinched ,but didn't look at him or his hand. He continued. He rose his hand further up her shirt until he could feel the material of her bra.

She finally took knowledge to what he was doing. She grabbed his hand from inside her shirt and struggle to get it out. He unconsciously grabbed other hand and pulled it until she slid onto his lap. Then he groped her breast ever so slightly. She gasped and her grip on his hand turned weak. He took that moment to grab that hand tightly and take it out of her shirt. She had both of her hands now, raised above her head. She was kicking now. Her eye shut tightly, she squirmed on his lap.

He had lost all sense of restraint in his mind. It was all covered in a pink fog. He moved slowly. Taking her hand and kissing down her arm. She wasn't pleased. It was when he got to her face is when she stopped squirming. He hovered over her lips. Just waiting for a sign. It was the only moment he wanted to wait for. That he wanted permission for. He didn't get it. She was tearing. Her face was sad and almost frightened. He broke out of the fog. He let her go and looked away from her face.

She stumbled off his lap across the room. She fled into the kitchen. Neji could have swore he heard her say, "Get out." He slowly stood up and walked to the door. His legs felt like weights as he opened the door and left. He walked in the lonely streets back to the compound. The place stank of vomit, but he didn't care. He made his way to his room and shut the door. He laid on the bed with his legs hanging off the side. He felt terrible. Neji turned so he was laying on his stomach and grabbed a pillow. He puts his face down on it and hoped that maybe it would suffocate him. What a foolish thing he had done. He wished he could take it all back.

He started to feel sleepy ,but he knew he wouldn't sleep a wink tonight. Not tonight. He felt to ashamed. Even if he did manage to close his eyes and his mind would become fuzzy, he would not be sleeping. He would be in a state of half death. A state that he would wish to never recover from ,but come morning he would wake up tired and helpless. His own body refused to let him suffocate himself, it would move his head from side to side to breath. He himself though, wanted to die. Then slowly, his mind did become fuzzy, his eyes did shut, and he drifted into half death.

In the morning, he awoke. Disgusted with himself and tired. His legs hurt from not having any support since they were hanging out of the side of the bed. He shuffled off his bed and stood up wobbly. He held the wall for support and went to the bathroom. He looked down at his legs and found smears of dried blood from not taking care of them correctly. He started the shower and began stripping himself of all his clothes. He wondered into the shower and took a mesh of shampoo in his hand. He scrubbed it into his hair and paused for a quick second. He let the water rush down his back. He leaned his head back so his hair would be ridded of all the suds. Suddenly, he began to think. Imagine. He imaged Rose in the shower with him. Her lips parted just like they were that night. Her body soak and wet. He furiously flung his head forward and hit it against the wall. His forehead looked red and would no doubt bruise tomorrow. He cursed at himself in his head. He finished his shower and stumbled out. Hitting his head on the wall had made him kind of dizzy. He got a towel out of the basket and wrapped it around his waist. He walked out into his bedroom and then his mind created a new illusion for him. Rose sprawled out on his bed wearing nothing ,but one of his shirts. He turned and slammed his fist into the bathroom door. It made his fist bleed since his fist smashed right through the door, but he turned around and smiled when the horrible illusion was gone. He slowly took his fist out of the door and wrapped his towel around it. He went to his dresser and pulled out a roll of medical tape and some ointment. He sat down on his bed and rubbed the ointment on his scratched legs. He wrapped medical tape around them then unwrapped his hand and did the same thing. He wrapped tape around his head to hide any bruise the would form there in case he would take his headband off.

Neji wouldn't eat breakfast this morning. He wouldn't train with his teammates. He wouldn't go to Rose's house to apologize. Instead, he would spend his day doing nothing ,but wondering around the village to places with hardly anyone there. He was at the playground now. Kids were playing on the swing ,but they didn't bother him. They would occasionally look at him to see if he was still there, but they would say anything or stop playing. He sat on the see-saw for awhile before moving when the parents came to pick up their kids. He walked to the training field where his teammates probably were earlier. He sat against a tree and just stared at the ground or the sky. His mind wondering time to time ,but not thinking of Rose at all. He hadn't eaten all day. He decided he would drink something. Get something in his stomach. He stood up and went into town back to the café where he had met Rose yesterday morning.

He sat down and almost at the same time a waitress came to take his order. He would order something he couldn't remember and wait there for a long time before the waitress would bring him what he ordered. It would not be much longer before he realized he was in the seat the Rose was sitting it yesterday too. He lifted his cup and noticed it wasn't coffee or tea. It was a pink liquid. He sipped it slowly. It was cherry limeade. The drink haunted him. Choked him as he swallowed it. He put his glass down to breath. He noticed that, like the night before, the limeade had no taste.

He wasn't sure why cherry limeade, Rose's favorite drink, would have no taste to him. Then he knew why. It was because Rose had no feelings for him. It had to be. Rose had taken the taste away herself. Had taken the sweet bliss of it so he would understand that he would never taste her own bliss. He looked into his cup. There was still a few sips left. A little hope that maybe he could taste these few sips. Then maybe, he would still have a chance with Rose. No, he didn't deserve a chance. He stood up and paid for what he ordered and left. He wondered around the village for awhile longer before he stopped in front of a house. He didn't know who's it was ,but his body had already knocked on the door.

No one answered. He let out a sigh of both relief and sadness. Could anyone help him? Could anyone cure him of this horrible feeling? He felt his legs give out and he fell to his knees. He was looking down at the welcome mat of the house. His hair hanging over his face. He heard the door open and light seep onto his hopeless body. Who ever opened the door, stood over him now. Starring at him. He didn't care how shameful he looked to the person. How pathetic this Hyuga looked to them. He just wanted to die. The person knelt down to his level and put a hand on his cheek. It was a womanly hand. Petite and delicate. The hand moved off his cheek and the person got up. He felt arms loop under his own and lift him up. His head still slumped down like it was to heavy for him to lift up.

The person carried him in the house and onto the couch. He was staring at a pair of legs now. Not his own ,but a woman's. They were slender and long. A long shirt draped over the thighs. The person ran somewhere else. He couldn't tell ,but he noticed the room. It looked familiar. He felt his body slump down onto the couch. He tried to get back up into the sitting position, but he felt to heavy. Besides, he much rather just lay there and waste away.

The person came back, and knelt down in front of him. His hair covered his face, he didn't notice who it was before he blacked out. When he woke up, he was tucked inside a blanket. He was looking up at the ceiling. His body ached and he had a large headache. He couldn't sit up, it hurt to much, but he could move his head. He looked around the room and he noticed. It was Rose's living room. He tried harder to get up. To do something. He struggled as hard as he could. He wanted to get out of there. To leave as quickly as possible, but it was to late. Rose had walked into the room with a tray carrying a bowl of soup and a glass of water.

"Don't move. You'll make it hurt more." Rose sat next to the couch and put the tray on the small table behind her. He obeyed and laid still.

"Why don't you just drop me off at the hospital? I'm not worth the trouble." Neji didn't look at her.

"Yes you are." She put a spoonful of soup to his lips. He ate it willingly and made sure he didn't choke on it. "You were weak from hunger. You didn't eat anything yesterday, did you?"

"How could I? I felt horrible." He closed his eyes tightly.

"Don't. I don't blame you for anything." She took another spoonful ,but Neji turned his head away.

"Don't say that. Why can't you just say that you hate me? The things I did. It was unforgivable! And you act like they were nothing." Neji gripped the blanket tightly.

"You're right Neji. It wasn't nothing, but I had long ago forgiven you." Rose held the spoon waiting for Neji to take it. Neji looked up at her for awhile before opening his mouth and letting her feed him. The soup was hard to swallow. It was like swallowing his hurt and pride all at once, getting stuck half way down his throat so he's have to swallow again to get it the rest of the way down. Even when he did get the food down. It sat uneasily in his stomach. He'd throw it up in the middle of the night into a bucket Rose put next to him when he told her that he felt sick.

She would leave during the day. Tell all his friends and family that he's alright. That he was staying at her house with the flu. It was a good cover. The hospital didn't treat patients with the flu. Mostly they would send them home with a bowl and medication and tell them to get some sleep. Everyone knew that he wouldn't be at his home. The lack of adult guidance in the compound would drive him away. Considering everyone was gone besides Hinata and her visiting comrades that would show up once and awhile. They would understand why he would flee to Rose's house.

He would sleep while she was gone and occasionally try to sit up. Though, his attempts were failures. He had already stayed there two days and everything became a routine. Rose would come home and wash out his barf bucket then place it back next to him. He would struggle to lift himself off the couch and she would tell him not to move. She would offer him the guest bedroom up stairs ,but he would say that the couch was just fine. She would come and feed him now and again to try to get something in his stomach. Not long after he would throw up in his bucket and she would come and wash it out. Even though it was disgusting, they enjoyed there time together.

She would turn on the TV sometimes and they would watch a movie together. He would get antsy around the first thirty minutes of it and she would shut it off. Every movie would remind him of that night. It would give him a fever and he would get angry for no reason. She would look at him in a certain way and he would turn away from here feeling more depressed then ever.

Sometimes she would read aloud to him from a book that she found in another country. He would listen to the sound of her voice, but his mind was numb to the words. When she would stop reading, he would find him in tears half asleep. Little did she know he was not asleep. He was only half dead that in the morning he would wake up tired and helpless.

They would speak little words to each other. Most of it was questions asked by Rose then grunts in response from Neji. That's how it had been for two days. That's how he thought it was going to stay. For the rest of his life, be a sick little puppy dog and to live in a house that would remind him of the horrible deed that he had done. Only this day, this day would be different. It was the fourth day he had been there.

Rose came home looking down at the ground the whole time. She picked up his bucket and went to wash it in the kitchen. Neji watched her go into the kitchen. Looking sad and yet confused. When she came back to put his bucket back next to him, he opened his mouth slowly. He was almost scared that moths would fly out, considering he hadn't talked in awhile.

"What's wrong?" Neji's voice was almost a whisper. She looked at him shocked ,but he could tell she didn't hear what he had said. He cleared his throat and with a stronger more confident voice he repeated, "What's wrong?" She lowered her head then sat down on the floor in front of him. Neji hoisted himself onto his elbows and watched her face. It was defiantly sad and confused.

"I was talking to Sakura today. And she said something…weird. I'm not sure if I understood what she meant." She was focused on a stain on the carpet, but he knew that she was focusing on something more then just that.

"You shouldn't listen to Sakura. She's as bad as Ino. She doesn't understand much about-" Neji stopped when he noticed she wasn't listening. "What did she say that was so bad?"

"It wasn't bad. Necessarily." She turned to face him. It was then he turned red. Her face was inches from his. He could smell her breath. Sweet and elegant, just like the rest of her. His mind flowed with those inappropriate images he had had before. He was tempted to throw his head back against the wooden arm rest of the couch, but he couldn't move. When he thought he was going to pass out, she stood up and walked back into the kitchen. He stared for a second as she walked into the kitchen, but right after that. He relieved his stomach into the bucket again.

Three days later, he was able to hold down his food. He got most of his strength back ,but he still wobbled while he walked. When he smelt his puke breath, he asked Rose for a toothbrush and a towel. He was going to take a shower today. Rose gladly opened a brand new toothbrush and handed him a soft white towel. She helped him to the bathroom ,but when she went to leave she stopped. He fumbled around the button to his shirt. He couldn't quite get his hands to stop shaking from the lack of energy. Rose giggled a little at his helplessness and walked over to him.

"Your hopeless." She brought her hands to the button and unbuttoned it slowly. He helped him out of his shirt then finally stopped to gaze at him. Neji was skinny. Not to thin, not to big. He was Goldy Locks, just right. He was muscular, but not obsessively. Just enough to make Rose stare and blush. Neji wasn't paying much attention to her, he was trying to see if he get his pants off. Of course, he couldn't. He looked up at Rose and found her staring.

"Is this amusing for you to see me not being able to undress myself. You can laugh if you want to." He smiled a little, but Rose shook her head and smiled back.

"No that's not it. For someone so uncoordinated from illness. You sure have a nice package." She laughed a little. Neji smiled back, it made him feel a little better to have someone compliment him. Then he realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt and Rose was in the room. He blushed and looked away.

"Just undo my pants and I'll take them off when you leave." Neji kept his eyes on the shower curtain. Rose did what she was told and undid his pants and left the room. He pulled his pants and boxers down and grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste. He entered the shower slowly and squirted toothpaste on his toothbrush. The hot steamy water felt good on his skin. It made him feel refreshed, a renewal of his strength. He brushed his teeth vigorously to get the taste and smell of barf out of his mouth. When he was done, he could almost imagine them sparkling like Gai-sensei's. He breathed a little and smelt it. Minty fresh. He took shampoo in his hand and lathered his head as so. Scrubbing all the smell that had accumulated over the week he had been there.

He let his hair soak down while he washed his body with soap. He looked around when he was waiting for the suds to wash off. The curtain was blue and the shower walls were white. The bathroom walls were light blue with white clouds on them, a sky. The ceiling was all white with lines on them that would make you believe that the ceiling was just one big cloud. When he was done, he shut the water off and stepped out slowly. He took a towel and wrapped around his waist. When he exited the bathroom, it was quite. Steam was flowing out of the bathroom into the bedroom. This was the guest room that Rose had offered him. On the bed was a T-shirt, boxers, and slacks. She probably was going to wash his shirt and pants later. He looked at the clothing. It was brand new. She must have bought them just for him.

He put the clothes on and walked into the hall. It was quite out here too. He wondered where Rose was. He looked in the living room and the kitchen. The only place he could think of her to be was her bedroom. He got to the door of her bed room and knocked on it slowly. When there was no answer he knocked on it again ,but more abruptly. When there was still no answer, he opened the door. He did so gradually and carefully. He entered the room when he couldn't see much. When he shut the door, there she was. On the bed barely awake, was Rose.

Neji remembered this scene. It was the night of the party. He should know to walk away, but he didn't. He walked over and sat on her bed. "Rose?" He whispered softly.

"She asked me a question." Rose said automatically. She opened her eyes and looked at Neji.

"Who?" He whispered back. She was so beautiful. He could feel that sick feeling return in the pit of his stomach.

"Sakura. When I got home so confused." She stared at him. So softly, yet there was a loss of innocence that he could barely see. She didn't have that innocent glisten in her eyes like she had the last time she went into a room with her in it.

"What did she ask?" He felt himself get nervous. Uneasy, he felt he could give way any moment.

"She asked me-" She sat up and sat on her legs. "She asked if I had fallen in love with you." Rose's eyes didn't have the innocence that had made him sick. That had made him so furious with himself day after day. She had that look of a drunken woman. A woman drunken by love.

"And-" He felt his stomach calm, but a heat in his face emerge. "W-what did you say?" He felt like he was gasping for air. He was leaning forward.

"I said…I said." She couldn't answer, but by now he knew the answer. He cupped her face with his hands and kissed her passionately. As if hope has risen back into his taste buds, her kiss tasted like cherry limeade. She had taken all the taste of that sweet drink and soaked it into that one blissful kiss. When he broke the kiss, he was gasping for air. The sweet scent of her acted of all the recovery he needed. She was breathing relentlessly too. Her hot breaths tickling his lips. Taunting him to taste them more.

He didn't feel terrible or guilty anymore. He didn't want to die. He wanted to live, live with her. Kiss her, touch her, give her everything she wanted. She went to kiss him again ,but he backed away which made her stop. He smiled as he went to kiss her again. It was a big old game of tease the sanity out of the other. He would push her down on the bed, but wouldn't allow their bodies to touch. She would wrench her lips away and shut them tight so he couldn't try to dominate her mouth. It was a fun game.

Soon, it was more then just a game. It was obsession. He began to kiss her neck and shoulders, silently cursing her top. She began to tug his T-shirt up. He complied by take his shirt off then pushed the edges of her top up to past her stomach. She giggled when he kissed up her stomach as pushed the top up further and further. When he got far enough, they just got rid of the piece all together. He bit and licked her neck to distract her as he searched for the latch to her bra.

She knew what he was looking for. She laughed in his ear when he began to get frustrated looking for it. She wouldn't tell him that it was a slip on. He finally got to tired of waiting, but then realized the bottom was elastic. He slipped it over her head with ease and noticed her giggling and laughing. He growled and whispered in her ear.

"I'd stop laughing if I were you." He licked her earlobe and that silenced her. She bit her lip and closed her eyes securely. He blew softly into her ear which urged a throaty moan from his angel. A distinct intense blush shaded her face. Neji smiled lovingly. He finally let their bodies close the space between them as he went in for another passionate kiss.

Their legs intertwined together. His hands resting on her waist, her hands tracing down his spine. Once in awhile, there hips would grind together causing them both to moan within there kiss. Neji would shiver now and again every time Rose would brush her fingers against his spine a certain way. Rose would arch whenever Neji would brush his hand on a hyper sensitive spot. They would break their kiss only for air, but it would be small breaks. There lips would separate ,but their tongues would still be trying to cling onto each other usually resulting in a trail of saliva.

Minutes would pass by and they would still be fondling each other. Loving each other in there own little world where nothing was wrong or sinful. Just love and love was no sin to them. In fact, it was the thing they held dearest to the world. In the morning, they would maybe wake up together in each other's arms, take a shower together, eat breakfast together, walk together, and at the end of the day, end up back here. On the bed, whispering to each other about what had happened that day. But now, right then and there, was that moment and it was not something they would waste.

They searched for pleasure else where. Soon enough, they ended up with nothing ,but there bare skin. It was enough for them to be at that point. They wondered about taking the next step, of course they did. It took them another few minutes before they both decided it was time to give _it _up. He lined himself up perfectly. Looking straight into Rose's eyes. Slowly, he penetrated her. He watched her wince in pain. She felt him kiss away her tears.

He waited for her of course, until the pain subsided from taking away her innocence. When she started to grind her hips against him, he knew it was okay to begin. He started slowly with awkward unbalanced thrusts, trying to find a comfortable place and rhythm. Once he got the hang of it, he went faster. No longer hitting the same place, he was looking for something. A spot that he read about in Kakashi-sensei's books. Maybe he could- she gasped in pleasure. Found it.

He continued to hit that spot, every so often she tighten his grip on him trying to tell him to go faster or harder. He would obey that of course. He was afraid of that tightening feeling in his stomach. He never felt it before. Neji could tell by the way her eyes were squeezed shut that she had that same exact feeling. Even though it scared him, it kind of excited him too. He dared not say this out loud, but he decided it was safe to say in his head. It felt good. Neji could feel her tightening around his manhood.

She would scream his name when she reached her peak, but he wouldn't take much time to enjoy the sound. He pulled out of her quickly, it just felt like the right thing to do. At that moment, he reached his climax too. It was heavenly, and draining. He saw substance stain her womanhood. Probably from him, but he didn't pay to mind to it. He was tired. It took all his strength just to keep from falling on her. He held himself up by his elbows and breathed rigorously into Rose's neck. She panted too. Her fingers entangled in his hair bring his head to her shoulder. After he got enough strength back, he shuffled to her side and brought her close. There sweat melding together just as they had. It was beautiful. Just as she was.

He pulled a blanket to shroud them. Her head resting on his chest and his messy hair falling upon a pillow. She had fallen asleep. He was wide awake. He would thread his fingers through her silky hair as she slept. He would do this until he sleep would catch him in its grip and he too, would fall fast to sleep.

In the morning, they woke up together, but did not take a shower together. They bathed together. They sat together in the large tub and let the herbal water wash over them as they cleansed each other. Rose made waffles while he sat on the couch only in his slacks. After she washed his clothes, they got dressed and walked outside together. Not saying a word. Naruto and some other people came up to him and asked him if he was feeling okay. Neji and Rose got separated some moment during the day. Neji took his mission and completed it with care. Stopping by at a store along the way to see Tsunade. Lucky for him, Tsunade wasn't ready to push him to hard and let him go home early. He went to the compound for awhile, found Hanabi and Hiashi was back from there trip. Hinata had told them everything she knew. Hiashi asked if he wanted to be looked at by any of the compound doctors. Neji said no. He told them that he would be collecting his stuff from Rose's house if they needed him. He hoped they wouldn't need him.

When he got back to Rose's house that day. She was there, cleaning up from the week he had been there. The couch looked much better when he wasn't wasting away in it. The whole living room looked better. He went into the kitchen and found her washing the bucket as if on habit. He smiled and got behind her. He scooped her hands from washing the bucket and kissed one of her soaked hands.

"You don't have to do that anymore. I can take care of myself." He smiled against her hand.

"They grow up so fast." She leaned her head back so it laid on his chest.

"I was thinking of something. When I got separated from you in the crowd." He let go of her hands and let her turn around.

"Let me guess. You were thinking of me. That's so sweet even if it is cheesy." She giggled and dried her hands on the towel.

"Yes. I was thinking of you. But there's more to it." He shuffled in his ninja pouch for something.

"Oh. And what's that." Rose placed the towel on the counter and crossed her arms.

"Would you live with me in the compound?" He smiled as she made the most adorable face.

"But Neji. I'm flattered and all and I would love to live with you in the compound ,but only Hyuga can live in the Hyuga compound." She watched him get down on one knee.

"I know that. I am a genius after all." He pulled a black velvet box out of his pouch. "Don't you think I'd have a plan to get around that?" He opened the box and there it was. The most beautiful ring she'd ever seen. It wasn't like the typical engagement ring. There was a large pink diamond like jewel in the middle with two smaller shinnying clear diamonds on each side.

"Pink?" She smiled almost crying. It was the only thing she could squeeze out of her mouth at the time.

"I thought you liked Cherry limeade? That's pink if you stopped gulping it down long enough to notice." He smiled as he saw her break down in overjoyed tears. "Will you marry me?"

Neji watched her as she cupped her face, hiding it. She wiped the tears from her eyes the best she could and nodded three times fast. After that, Rose threw her arms around Neji and joined him on the floor. He held her close then let her pull away. He slipped the ring onto her finger delicately. It matched her in a cute sort of way. They would go tell everyone. All of their friends, all of their teachers, and then they would go to the compound. Hiashi would hug his kinda-daughter-in-law and say.

"Well, it's about time."


End file.
